Metadata Merging In Agent Configuration Files

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: configuring an agent with a current version of a configuration file, the current version of the configuration file comprises metadata entries, the metadata entries comprise a customized entry; using the agent, instrumenting and monitoring an application according to the current version of the configuration file; receiving an updated version of the configuration file, the updated version of the configuration file comprises metadata entries comprising a corresponding entry which corresponds to the customized entry; based on a rule, determining whether the customized entry is preferred over the corresponding entry; and creating a merged version of the configuration file based on the current version of the configuration file and an updated version of the configuration file, the merged version of the configuration file uses the customized entry as a selected entry in place of the corresponding entry as an unselected entry if the customized entry is preferred over the corresponding entry, and the merged version of the configuration file uses the corresponding entry as the selected entry in place of the customized entry as the unselected entry if the customized entry is not preferred over the corresponding entry; and using the agent, instrumenting and monitoring the application according to the merged version of the configuration file.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the creating the merged version of the configuration file comprises: when the selected entry is a line comment, adding the selected entry to the merged version of the configuration file as a line comment; and when the selected entry is a compilable instruction, adding the selected entry to the merged version of the configuration file as a compilable instruction.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the unselected entry is a compilable instruction, and the creating the merged version of the configuration file comprises: adding the unselected entry to the merged version of the configuration file as a line comment, the line comment comprises a comment delimiter followed by the compilable instruction.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein: the customized entry and the corresponding entry define conflicting enabled/disabled statuses of a feature of the agent; and the rule indicates whether to use the enabled/disabled status of the customized entry or the enabled/disabled status of the corresponding entry in the merged version of the configuration file.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein: the customized entry and the corresponding entry define conflicting types of communication used by the agent; and the rule indicates whether to use the type of communication of the customized entry or the type of communication of the corresponding entry in the merged version of the configuration file.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein: the customized entry and the corresponding entry define conflicting locations of a log file of the agent; and the rule indicates whether to use the location of the customized entry or the location of the corresponding entry in the merged version of the configuration file.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein: the customized entry and the corresponding entry define conflicting periods at which the agent reports a metric obtained from the application; and the rule indicates whether to use the period of the customized entry or the period of the corresponding entry in the merged version of the configuration file.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein: the customized entry and the corresponding entry define conflicting directives regarding at least one method of a class or set of classes to monitor in the application; and the rule indicates whether to use the directive of the customized entry or the directive of the corresponding entry to provide the merged version of the configuration file.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein: the customized entry and the corresponding entry, define conflicting directives regarding a type of information to be collected in the application; and the rule indicates whether to use the directive of the customized entry or the directive of the corresponding entry to provide the merged version of the configuration file.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the creating the merged version of the configuration file comprises: adding at least one of a header block or a description block from the updated version of the configuration file, but not from the current version of the configuration file, to the merged version of the configuration file.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein: the customized entry comprises a key-value pair; the corresponding entry comprises a key-value pair, where the keys are the same and the values are different; and the rule indicates whether to use the value of the customized entry or the value of the corresponding entry in the merged version of the configuration file.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the creating the merged version of the configuration file comprises: identifying any other entry in the current version of the configuration file and in the updated version of the configuration file which is a line comment and which comprises a key-value pair comprising the key; and adding the any other entry as a line comment to the merged version of the configuration file.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein: the selected entry controls how the agent adds instrumentation to the application.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 , wherein: the selected entry controls how the agent processes data obtained from the instrumentation.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the customized entry comprises a directive to instrument a method of the application and the corresponding entry comprises a directive to not instrument a method of the application, or the customized entry comprises a directive to not instrument the method of the application and the corresponding entry comprises a directive to instrument the method of the application.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein: the customized entry is made by a network administrator by modifying an existing entry in a configuration file.

17. A memory comprising computer readable software embodied thereon for programming a processor to perform a method, the method comprising: configuring an agent with a current version of a configuration file; using the agent, instrumenting and monitoring an application according to the current version of the configuration file; receiving an updated version of the configuration file; accessing a rule, the rule indicates whether the current version of the configuration file should be: continued without being overwritten or merged, overwritten by the updated version of the configuration file, or merged with the updated version of the configuration file; if the rule indicates that the current version of the configuration file should be continued without being overwritten or merged, continuing the instrumenting and monitoring of the application according to the current version of the configuration file; if the rule indicates that the current version of the configuration file should be overwritten by the updated version of the configuration file, instrumenting and monitoring the application according to the updated version of the configuration file and discontinuing the instrumenting and monitoring of the application according to the current version of the configuration file; and if the rule indicates that the current version of the configuration file should be merged with the updated version of the configuration file: creating a merged version of the configuration file based on the current version of the configuration file, the updated version of the configuration file and the rule, instrumenting and monitoring the application according to the merged version of the configuration file, and discontinuing the instrumenting and monitoring of the application according to the current version of the configuration file, wherein the creating the merged version of the configuration file comprises: identifying an entry in the current version of the configuration file for which there is a corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file; selecting the entry in the current version of the configuration file or the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file, as a selected entry, based on a preference in the rule; and adding the selected entry to the merged version of the configuration file.

18. The memory of claim 17 , wherein the creating the merged version of the configuration file comprises: when the selected entry is a line comment, adding the selected entry to the merged version of the configuration file as a line comment; and when the selected entry is a compilable instruction, adding the selected entry to the merged version of the configuration file as a compilable instruction.

19. The memory of claim 17 , wherein the creating the merged version of the configuration file comprises: identifying the entry in the current version of the configuration file or the corresponding entry, as an unselected entry; and regardless of whether the unselected entry is a line comment or a compilable instruction, adding the unselected entry to the merged version of the configuration file as a line comment.

20. The memory of claim 17 , wherein: the entry in the current version of the configuration file and the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file, define conflicting enabled/disabled statuses of a feature of the agent; and the rule indicates whether to use, in the merged version of the configuration file, the enabled/disabled status of the entry in the current version of the configuration file or the enabled/disabled status of the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file.

21. The memory of claim 17 , wherein: the entry in the current version of the configuration file and the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file, define conflicting types of communication used by the agent; and the rule indicates whether to use, in the merged version of the configuration file, the type of communication of the entry in the current version of the configuration file or the type of communication of the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file.

22. The memory of claim 17 , wherein: the entry in the current version of the configuration file and the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file, define conflicting locations of a log file of the agent; and the rule indicates whether to use, in the merged version of the configuration file, the location of the entry in the current version of the configuration file or the location of the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file.

23. The memory of claim 17 , wherein: the entry in the current version of the configuration file and the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file, define conflicting frequencies with which the agent reports a metric obtained from the application; and the rule indicates whether to use, in the merged version of the configuration file, the frequency of the entry in the current version of the configuration file or the frequency of the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file.

24. The memory of claim 17 , wherein: the entry in the current version of the configuration file and the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file, define conflicting directives regarding at least one of a method, a class, or a set of classes to instrument and monitor in the application; and the rule indicates whether to use, in the merged version of the configuration file, the directive of the entry in the current version of the configuration file or the directive of the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file.

25. The memory of claim 17 , wherein: the entry in the current version of the configuration file comprises a key-value pair; the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file comprises a key-value pair, where the keys are the same and the values are different; and the rule indicates whether to use, in the merged version of the configuration file, the value of the entry in the current version of the configuration file or the value of the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file.

26. The memory of claim 25 , wherein the creating the merged version of the configuration file comprises: identifying any other entry in the current version of the configuration file and in the updated version of the configuration file which is a line comment and which comprises a key-value pair comprising the key; and adding the any other entry as a line comment to the merged version of the configuration file.

27. A computer-implemented method, comprising: accessing a current version of a configuration file and an updated version of the configuration file; accessing rules in one or more files; creating and storing a merged version of the configuration file based on the current version of the configuration file, the updated version of the configuration file, and rules; and using the merged version of the configuration file to control behavior of an agent, including how the agent adds instrumentation to an application and how the agent is configured, the creating the merged version of the configuration file comprises: processing entries in the current version of the configuration file; and for each entry in the current version of the configuration file: determining whether there is a corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file, and if there is the corresponding entry, selecting the entry in the current version of the configuration file or the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file, as a selected entry based on a preference in the rules, adding the selected entry to the merged version of the configuration file, and instrumenting and monitoring the application according to the merged version of the configuration file.

28. The method of claim 27 , further comprising: for each entry in the current version of the configuration file: if there is not the corresponding entry, adding the entry in the current version of the configuration file to the merged version of the configuration file.

29. The method of claim 27 , further comprising: for each entry in the current version of the configuration file, if there is the corresponding entry, identifying the entry in the current version of the configuration file or the corresponding entry in the updated version of the configuration file as an unselected entry; and regardless of whether the unselected entry is a line comment or a compilable instruction, adding the unselected entry to the merged version of the configuration file as a line comment.